Packaging machine



M. NICHOLS Sept. 2, 1969 I PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-$heet 1 FiledApril 7, 1967 MATTHEW N ICHOLS W047 p 1969 M. NICHOLS 3,464,182

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed April '1, 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 MATT/6 5W AW 01.r 324% Sept. 2, 1969 M. NICHOLS PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed April '1, 1967 2 ,y. Z M VMWM W 7 W A M M a,

Sept. 2, 1969 M, NICHOLS 3,464,182

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed April 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 MATTHEW A/IC'HOZS'ATTORA/fK Sept. 2, 1969 M. NICHOLS 3,464,182

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed April 7, 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 III //VI//V7'0/P.Eff 16. MATTHEW Alla/015 Sept. 2, 1969 M. NICHOLS PACKAGING MACHINE- 8Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed April 7, 1967 //1/VE/V70, MA Tf/lEW /V/( H01 S we Afrom/5X United States Patent US. Cl. 53-184 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A machine for forming blisters in thermo-plastic material forreceiving the object to be packaged, and sealing the object-containingblisters. The machine is particularly designed for packaging medicinalpills or tablets but has other applications.

THE INVENTION Provides a plurality of stations which operateautomatically, continuously, and in synchronous succession, whereby theoperator only need thread the ends of upper and lower thermo-plasticsheets and to maintain a supply of the pills, or other objects, to bepackaged.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus embodyingthe invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view looking in the direction of line2-2 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of some of theparts shown at the extreme left-hand end of FIG. 1. I

FIG. 4 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 4-4 on FIG.3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 5-5 on FIG.4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 6-6 on FIG.2.

FIG. 7 is an enlargement of enclosed area 7 on FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 8-8 on FIG.6.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 9-9 on FIG.6. 7

FIG. 10 is an enlarged section on line 10-10 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 11-11 onFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 12-12 onFIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing the loading mechanismwhich places pills in the recesses formed in the base sheet.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view showing the heat-sealingmechanism which seals the pills in the recesses.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view showing the die-cuttingmechanism which cuts out a completed blister package from the materialof which the package is formed.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 16-16 onFIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, perspective view of the work pulling mechanismwhich is shown at the extreme righthand end of FIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 18-18 onFIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram showing the steps of my method and the orderin which they are carried out.

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of one form of blister Patented Sept. 2, 1969package which can be produced by the apparatus and according to themethod of my invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic representation of the circuitry which controlsthe operation of the machine.

In the art of blister packaging, it has been the practice to cut thethermo-plastic sheets to the desired size and to feed them,individually, to a heated die which formed the blisters for receivingthe pills, the sheets being then moved individually, to a loadingstation at which the operator placed the requisite number of pills inthe recesses. At this, or at another station, a pre-cut, individual,cover sheet was placed over the base sheet and the laminated sheets weresubject to heat to adhere the sheets together with the pillstherebetween.

The reason for this obviously disadvantageous practice is that the basesheet was heated over its entire surface, and hence, it could not besubjected to any lateral tension, until it had cooled enough to regainits original tensile strength. This slowed down the operation.Furthermore, the practice of heating the base sheet over its entire areaalso made it impossible to use base sheets of less than a minimal gauge,or thickness, because the pressure exerted to form the recesses in thebase sheet also distorted the adjacent and peripheral portions of thebase sheet.

It is therefore the object of the invention to produce a new method of,and apparatus for, packaging, whereby base sheets of relatively heavyand of relatively light, gauge can be successfully used.

A further object is to produce a new method and apparatus whereby thesteps of providing the base sheet with recesses; the deposit of thepills, or other objects, in the recesses; the application and adhesionof a cover to seal the pills in their recesses, and the cutting-out ofthe comcompleted package; are carried out rapidly and automatically.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 19, an apparatus embodying my inventionincludes six interdependent and mutually co-operative units located atstations A to F inclusive, at which the various steps of my method aresynchronously and successively carried out.

Generally speaking, the thermo-plastic base sheet is heated to permitthe formation therein of pill-receiving blisters, or recesses, atstation-A; the blisters are formed in the base sheet at station B; thepills are placed in the blisters at station C; the cover, or sealingsheet is applied to the base sheet as it approaches station D where thecover and base sheets are adhered together; and the laminated andadhered base and cover sheets, with the pills therebetween, are cut outat station E; and the remainder of the laminated sheets are pulled atstation F, intermittently and in measured increments, to presentsuccessive portions of the base and cover sheets to successive stations.The mechanisms at stations A to F are fully described below. At thispoint it only need be noted that operations A to E are carried outautomatically and synchronously whereby, for practical purposes, theoperation can be described as continuous.

THE BASE SHEET CONDITIONING MECHANISM AT STATION A (FIGS. 1 to 6) Thefirst step in carrying out the invention is the softening of the centralportion of base sheet S. This is carried out by the mechanism at stationA which includes a hollow, upper, fixed platen 30 which is provided withmarginal compartments 32 and 33, which are supplied with cold water or asuitable refrigerant through conduit 34 and with a refrigerant overflowreceiving compartment or accumulator 35 from which the spent water, orrefrigerant is withdrawn by conduit 36. The central portion 38 of upperplaten 30 is controllably heated by resistance element 39 which isenergized through wire 40.

The base sheet conditioning mechanism at station A also includes a lowervertically reciprocable platen 42, the central portion of which ispreferably, but not necessarily, controllably heated by resistanceelement 44 which is energized by wire 46. Platen 42 is reciprocated byany suitable means such as double acting hydraulic, or pneumatic,cylinder 46 which actuates the lower platen in synchronous relation tosubsequent operations in the manner hereinafter set forth. At thispoint, it is suflicient to say that, when the lower platen is raisedinto abutment with the upper platen, the heated central portions of theplatens soften the central portion 47 of the base sheet while the cooledmarginal portions of the platen keep the marginal portions M of the basesheet cool enough to retain the tensile strength necessary to permit thelaminated sheets to be intermittently pulled, by the puller mechanismshown at station F, to present successive portions of the sheets to. thesuccessive stations without distortion of the softened portion of thesheet. The degree of heat applied to the base sheet at station A can beascertained from handbooks which give the melting points for varioussynthetic, transparent, or translucent sheet materials, and for variousgauges of the same, or of different materials. But, for convenience,examples of various materials are set forth below.

THE FORMATION OF RECESSES OR BLISTERS AT STATION B (FIGS. 1, 6 to 9, and20) The second step, which is the formation of blisters in the softenedcentral portion 47 of base sheet, is carried outiby the mechanism shownat station B. This mechanism includes an upper platen 50 which isreciprocated vertically by a double acting hydraulic, or pneumatic,cylinder 51 and which has pendent lugs 52, and a lower platen 53 whichhas holes, or recesses 54, and is reciprocated by a double actingcylinder 56, FIG. 6. The size, number, shape, and pattern of the lugsvary with the size, number, shape, and pattern of the blisters, orpockets 55, FIG. 9, it is desired to produce in the base sheet. For thepurpose of this disclosure, it is enough to point out that when theupper and lower platens are brought together, lugs 52 and recesses 54co-operate to form recesses or blisters 55 in the base sheet.

Experience shows that if the blisters 55 are produced by merely matingthe male and female dies, the junctions of the blisters with the basesheet will be on an objectionably large radius. Experience also showsthat for better sealing, and better appearance, it is desirable that thejunction of the upper edges of blisters 55 be squared relative to theplane of base sheet so that a vertical section taken through any part ofa blister 55 will show that the vertical wall of the blister is at asharp angle to the plane of the base sheets.

According to my invention, I overcome this difiiculty by applyingsuction to lugs 52 (FIG. 6). This is accomplished by a conduit 59 whichleads from openings 58 which are adjacent lugs 52 to a source ofsuction, not shown. By this arrangement, the walls of blisters 55 willhave sharp, right-angle, junctions with the base sheet. I am not sure,but my theory is that the suction at openings 58 holds the portions ofthe plasticized base sheet which surround lugs 52 tightly against thefiat underside of platen 30 so that the only material stretched to formblisters 55 will be that which snugly encases the lugs.

PLACING PILLS IN THE BLISTERS AT STATION C (FIGS. 1, -13, 19, and 20) IThe mechanism for placing pills 60 in the blisters 55 includes astationary platform 61 over which the base sheet, Wllh blisters 55formed therein, is intermittently drawn, between guides 63, by thepuller mechanism at station F. Platform 61 is supported by suitable legs62, and above the left or receiving end of station C is a hopper 65, fordispensing a supply of pills to the blisters in the base sheettherebelow.

To insure that all of the blisters in the base sheet are filled, and toinsure that no excess pills will be carried over to heat-sealing stationD, I provide a sweeping mechanism which pushes pills into blisters andremoves from the surface of the base sheet such pills as are not inblisters. This mechanism includes a carriage 64 from which is suspendedone or more brushes 66, one of which is near the entrance end, and oneof which is near the exit end of station C. It will be noted that thebottom edge of the brush near the exit end of station C is closer to thebase sheet than the bottom edge of the other brushes (FIG. 11).Carriage=64 is reciprocated vertically by one or more double actingcylinders 67 and it is reciprocated horizontally by double actingcylinder 68, the piston 69 of which is connected to the carriage frame,FIG. 13. By this arrangement, the carriage is intermittently first movedupwardly, to elevate the brushes; then horizontally, to the right, asviewed in FIGS. 11 and 12; then downwardly to bring the brushes intoclose proximity to, or into contact with, the base sheet; and thenhorizontally to the left so that brushes will sweep the pills into emptyblisters, if any, and will sweep any pills not seated in blisters 55 offthe surface of the portion of the sheet leaving station C to join thesupply of pills falling out of hopper onto the oncoming portion of thebase sheet.

THE HEAT SEALING OPERATION AT STATION D (FIGS. 1 and 14) As the basesheet moves out of station C, it is joined by a cover sheet 70 which ispaid out from roll 71 and overlies the base sheet. Cover sheet 70 may beof foil, paper, or other material which can be adhered to the base sheetby the application of heat and pressure. The mechanism for sealing thebase and cover sheets includes an upper, stationary platen 72, which iscontrollably heated by elements such as those which heat the platens atstation A and which are shown in FIG. 4; and a lower platen 73 which hasrecesses 74 for receiving the pill-containing blisters 55 of the basesheet S. Lower platen 73 is vertically reciprocated by a double-actingcylinder 76, into and out of abutment with the upper platen 72 to adherecover to base sheet S.

STRIPPING THE COMPLETED PACKAGE AT STATION E (FIGS. 15, 16 and 20) Thepill-containing segment 80, which is shown in FIG. 20, is cut out atstation E by means of a cutting die having an upper, stationary malemember 81 and a lower, movable female member 82 which has a cavitycorresponding to the size and shape of the segment to be severed, andwhich is vertically reciprocated by cylinder 86. The segments severed atstation E fall into a chute 88 which delivers them to a conveyor, or toa receptacle, not shown.

In the illustrated embodiment, the pattern of the pillreceiving blisters55, is rectangular, FIGS. 8, 9, and 20, but it is to be understood thatthe pill-receiving blisters can be arranged in any desired pattern.

Cover sheet 70 may be of thermo-plastic material or it may be of paper,or cardboard, with the name of the product, the dosage and the name ofthe manufacturer, etc., printed thereon.

THE PULLER MECHANISM AT STATION F (FIGS. 17 and 18) The base sheet S,with the cover 70 laminated thereto, is pulled from left to right, asviewed in FIG. 1, by a puller mechanism which engages the lateralmarginal portrons of the sheet, that is, the portions of the laminatedsheets which remain after severance of the pill-bearing portions. Thismechanism includes a fixed, gripper 90 and a horizontally movable,gripper 92. The stationary grrpper 90 includes a number of spaced pairsof clamps, each having a fixed upper jaw 93 and a movable lower jaw 94,the latter being vertically moved into an upper, gripping, and to alower, releasing, position by cylinder 95. When jaw 94 is closed againstjaw 93, the base sheet S is held against movement. Movable gripper 92also includes upper fixed jaws 97 and lower movable jaws 99 which aremoved upward into engagement with jaws 97 and downwardly out ofengagement with said jaws by cylinder 100. In addition, movable gripper92 is reciprocable horizontally by the piston 96 of cylinder 98. Movablegripper 92 is slidable over guide rail 102, towards, and away from, thefixed gripper 90. The clamping jaws of the movable gripper are out ofalignment with the jaws of the fixed gripper so that when the movablegripper is moved to its extreme left-hand position as viewed in FIGS. 1and 17, the jaws of the movable gripper will be interleaved with thejaws of the fixed gripper. The movements of the fixed and movablegrippers are as follows: With its jaws open, the movable gripper 92 ismoved, by piston 96, to the left in FIG. 17 to dispose its jaws betweenthe jaws of the fixed gripper 90. At this point, the jaws of the holdinggripper 90 are opened by cylinder 95 to release the laminated base andcover sheets and, substantially simultaneously, the jaws of the movablegripper 92 are closed to grasp said sheets. As soon as the jaws of themovable gripper have closed on the sheets, piston 96 pulls the movablegripper 92 to the right, in FIG. 17, to advance the laminated sheetsthrough a distance enough to move conditioned portion of the base sheetfrom station A to blister-forming station B; to move the blisteredportion of the sheet from station B to pill-loading station C; to movethe pill-loaded portion of the base sheet and its overlying cover sheetsto heat-sealing station D; and to move the loaded, heat-sealed portionof the laminated sheets from station D to stripping station E, where thesealed package is severed.

Since the various cylinders referred to may be pneumatic, or hydraulic,or they may be replaced with solenoids, motors, or any otherconventional actuating mechanisms, and since the structure andoperations of these cylinders is not claimed, as such, they have notbeen shown, nor described.

Also, the cylinders and/or other actuating devices can be operated byany well known cam and circuit arrangement which can readily be puttogether by anyone familiar with this art. But, for convenience, onesuch arrangement has been diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 21.

The mechanism illustrated includes a motor which drives a cam shaft 104,which carries a number of cams, not shown, for closing normally openswitches to activate the various cylinders in timed relation.

For the machine illustrated, there is provided a valve V46 for operatingcylinder 46; valve V51 for operating cylinder 51; valve V56 foroperating cylinder 56; valve V67 for operating cylinders 67; valve V68for operating cylinder 68; valve V76 for operating cylinder 76; valveV86 for operating cylinders 86; valve V95 for operating cylinder 95;valve V100 for cylinder 100, and valve V98 for operating cylinder 98.The valves, in turn, are activated by the closing of correspondingswitches 110 to 119 inclusive, which are controlled by the cams on camshaft 104 of motor M.

It will be understood that the operation of cylinders 67 and 68 must betimed relative to each other and relative to the valves controlling theoperations at the other stations, and that the same is true of cylinders95, 100, and 98. Except for these intra-station requirements, theoperation of the remaining cylinders is, for practical purposes,substantially simultaneous.

THE OPERATION To commence operation, or to resume operation when a rollof base or cover sheets is exhausted, the operator threads the lead endof the base sheet through stations A, B, and C; threads cover sheet atstation D; and threads both sheets through stations E and F. Motor M isthen turned on to see that all of the stations are operatingsatisfactorily, and the operator deposits a supply of pills, or thelike, in hopper 65.

The machine now operates automatically, in that when a portion of thebase sheet S is heated, the puller mechanism draws the sheet to move theheated portion to blistering station B; and again, to move the blisteredsheet to pill-receiving station C; and again, to heat-sealing station D;and again, to sealed-package stripping station E to begin a new cycle.

It will be seen from FIGS. 19 and 20 that the greatest dimension ofpill-carrying segment is smaller than the width of the laminated baseand cover sheets. This leaves substantial blank portions which can begripped by the jaws of the puller mechanism at station F to pull thesheets intermittently, for the purpose and the manner above set forth.

It is to be noted that at heat sealing station D, the center portions ofthe laminated sheets are heated and the margins are cooled in the mannershown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. Since, in this respect, the structure andoperation will be identical with that already described, it is thoughtunnecessary to repeat the same.

There are many types of plastic sheetings available, and others arebeing introduced from time to time. Also, these sheets come in differentthicknesses and the degree of heat needed to permit the formation ofblisters or to adhere the sheets together, will have to be determinedfrom handbooks giving the heat characteristics of the material selected,or by the method of trial and error, which can be carried out by anoperator of average skill.

A complete prototype has been successfully tested under actualcommercial-type production conditions. In the case of vinyl sheets, atemperature of about 220 F. was satisfactory for sheets of from to Forsheets made of fluorohalocarbon which is sold by Allied Chemical underthe trade name Aclar of the same thicknesses, a temperature of about 290F. was needed.

These are by way of examples, and it is to be noted that the inventionresides in the heating of the central portions of the sheets to permitforming and adhesion and simultaneously cooling the marginal portions topreserve the tensile strength of the marginal portions to providehandles by which the sheets may be pulled without distortion. Theinvention also resides in the automated structure disclosed and moreparticularly, the loading mechanism at station C and the sheet advancingmechanism at station F.

In the claims, the word pill is used to include any object to bepackaged; the word cylinder is used to include any actuating mechanism;the word refrigerant is used to include any means for keeping themarginal portion of the platens below the temperature at which thethermoplastic sheets begin to soften; the word sweep is used todesignate the brush which pushes pills into the blisters and movesexcess pills on the surface of the sheet; the word blisters is used tomean pill-receiving recesses; and the words cover-sheet are used to meana sheet of any material, such as paper, foil, or the like, to which thebase-sheet may adhere.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for enclosing pills in blisters formed in a thermoplasticsheet, said machine including:

means, at a first station for forming blisters in said sheet,

means at a second station for supplying pills to said sheet as it movesthereto,

a sweep disposed above, and mounted for vertical and horizontal movementrelative to said sheet,

actuating means for moving in sequence said sweep upwardly, thenhorizontally in the direction of movement of the sheet, then downwardlytoward the surface of the sheet, and then opposite the direction ofmovement of said sheet to move certain of the pills into blisters, andto remove from said sheet all pills not seated in blisters, and

moving means for moving said sheet through said first and secondstations.

2. The machine according to claim 1 with the addition of a third stationat which said pill-laden, blistered sheet is laminated with a coversheet and said moving means operates to move said sheet through saidfirst and second stations and said laminated sheets through said thirdstation.

3. The machine of claim 2, and

means, at a fourth station for severing the blistered, pill-ladenportion of the laminated sheets from the remaining portions thereof.

4. A machine for enclosing pills in the sealed blisters formed in athermoplastic base sheet, said machine including:

a first heat and pressure means for forming blisters in said base sheetwithout distorting predetermined portions of the sheet,

second means for placing a pill in each of said blisters, said secondmeans including a sweep disposed above, and mounted for vertical andhorizontal movement relative to said base sheet, and also includingactuating means for moving said sweep in sequence upwardly, thenhorizontally in the direction of movement of said sheet, then downwardlytoward the surface of the sheet and then horizontally opposite thedirection of movement of the sheet, and

third means for applying a cover sheet over said base sheet,

fourth, heat and pressure means, for adhering said cover sheet to saidbase sheet to seal said pills in said blisters,

means for severing said sealed blisters from the remaining portions ofsaid adhered sheets, and

means for propelling said sheets.

5. The machine of claim 4 wherein:

said sheets are continuous and wherein said actuating means propels saidsheets synchronously with the performance of the other operations atsaid stations.

6. The machine according to claim 1 wherein said means at said firststation includes a predetermined number of lugs projecting from suctioninlet openings.

7. The machine according to claim 1 wherein said sweep includes apredetermined number of resilient membfirs for engaging pills duringtheir movement over said s eet.

8. The machine according to claim 7 wherein said resilient members arebrushes arranged to move at respective predetermined heights over saidsheet.

9. In packaging machinery for producing blisters in a thermoplasticsheet, a predetermined portion of which has been heated, blister formingmeans which comprises:

(a) a female die and (b) an associated male die, said male die including(i) a predetermined number of inlet openings, and (ii) a predeterminednumber of projections extending from said openings,

(c) means for producing suction at said openings when said male andfemale dies are brought together on opposite sides of said sheet therebyto produce small radius junctions of the side walls of said blister withthe plane of said sheet.

10. In packaging machinery according to claim 9 the blister formingmeans wherein said projection has a terminal portion which is largerthan the other portion thereof and wherein said other portion issubstantially surrounded by said inlet opennig.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,546,059 3/1951 Cloud 53180 X3,000,157 9/1961 Ollier et al. 53-184 THERON E. CONDON, Primary ExaminerE. F. DESMOND, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 53-281; 18-44

